10 word challenge
by Lurid sleep
Summary: This is the part where i attempt a ten word prompt challenge. Be aware that these one-shots will be mostly misahara related.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello Nichijou fandom. first of all i'd like to apologize for making the introduction for this thing a full chapter, but i felt like it would be easier to focus on the actual chapters if i dedicated this first one to explaining this thing i doing.**

**it's been a while since i published any fanfics here, and that's mostly because i've been focusing most of my time on drawing instead of writing. i don't know if i ever really planned to write more nichijou fics since my last one, but a few people seemed to really like it, and a few are asking that i write more. So i decided to compromise by attempting a ten word prompt challenge. the words i chose are:**

**Smugness**

**Writing**

**Birthdays**

**Jealousy**

**Cuteness**

**Unfortunate**

**Manners**

**Misunderstandings**

**Gift**

**Shivers**

**I won't do all these one-shots in order, but i will do my best to write a one-shot for each of these word prompts. **

**Just to clarify, all these one-shots will be misahara themed, so if that's not your cup of tea, feel free to write your own ten word prompt challenge fanfic. on a side note, how do you fellas feel about one of these one-shots possibly being T rated? Let me know what you think. In fact, just let me know what you think in general. Tell me if you think i should do things differently, or if you like one thing i did, or if you just absolutely hate it and everything i've ever written. All this kind of criticism is important for me to improve, so please let me know what you think.**


	2. Gift

**AN: Ok, here we go! The first in this ten word challenge. this prompt i wrote from was "Gift". For this one i was kinda lazy, so i just sort of re-wrote the events of the scene with Misato and the vending machine, and added on something like what i thought would have happened if they'd written it in the show. I couldn't even think up a good situation for this, so** I guess that means we're off to a wonderful start.****

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><p>It wasn't like it was difficult to pick out a soda. It wasn't really a very important decision either. But sometimes little, unimportant decisions were the ones she was most careful to make. Even now, she was taking her time in choosing a soft drink.<p>

Having the same soda every day could be boring, but trying out a new drink was risky in the sense that it might not be as good as something she was more familiar with. Apparently, even when it came to soft drinks Misato hesitated just a little to step out of her comfort zone.

In the middle of her contemplation she was shoved just so that she spun around on the pivot of her foot. When she stopped spinning, her hand outstretched instinctively to catch herself, and pressed down on one of the buttons of the vending machine by mistake.

"I accidentally selected black coffee…" she muttered to herself. Coffee? What was she supposed to do with that? Obviously, she _could _drink it if she had to, but coffee wasn't really her thing. This kind of bad choice was exactly what she'd been trying to avoid by taking her time in deciding what to buy.

"Sorry!" someone called out in a slightly panicked voice. She turned to see who it was speaking to her. A brown-haired girl, maybe in her first or second year had just ran back to apologize after accidentally pushing her. Misato didn't recognize her then, but she would later vaguely recall her from the restaurant she'd visited a few days ago.

"It's okay. Sorry." she returned, awkwardly apologizing for having been ran into.

"I'm sorry!" the girl called once more, running off again the same way she'd been going before she ran into Misato. She looked like she was in a hurry. Despite the inconvenience of having wasted her money on a drink she didn't want, she couldn't manage to feel annoyed with the girl. Whatever it was that she was in such a hurry for, she'd at least bothered to apologize for bumping into her. After all, it wasn't such a great loss.

As the girl shrank further into the distance, Misato turned her attention back to the vending machine. A sign on the front that hadn't been there before caught her attention. "winner!" it said, something about an extra soda was written there as well, but she didn't quite read it before a second drink dropped down to the dispenser beside the black coffee.

She won an extra soda? Not just that, but the soda she won was even a brand she liked. Well, that was pretty lucky. She'd have something tasty to drink, at least. But there was still the problem about what to do with the coffee. She pulled both the cans out of the vending machine, holding one in each hand. It seemed like such a waste to throw it away, but what else could she do with it?

She turned her head then. It was a subconscious reaction, like when strangers suddenly meet eyes from across a room for a moment. She wasn't really expecting to meet anyone's gaze when she shifted her attention, but was met instantly by the eyes of the eldest son of the Sasahara family.

They both stood still for an oddly long time, maybe just looking at each other for a few seconds longer than what would have passed for a normal glance. Looking at him she remembered that he always drank black coffee. She had a can of black coffee that she didn't want. It took her all of three seconds to put two and two together.

She suddenly extended out her arm, and the black coffee that was held at the end of it, while simultaneously turning her face away from him to break their eye contact.

"Here," she said, in a way that almost sounded angry. Why was it still so hard just to be around him? She was only offering him a drink, that was all. So why couldn't she look at him, or even say more than a word at a time to him?

She couldn't see what he was doing, whether he would actually accept it from her, or if he'd refuse it. After a few long moments of waiting with no idea how she'd be received, she felt the can slowly being pulled from her hand. As he lifted it out of her hand, his fingers grazed her thumb for a fraction of a second. As soon as her hand was free, Misato drew it back and cradled it to her side, as though it had been burned. Kojiro Sasahara noticed, but said nothing in regard to it.

Knowing how easily she might become flustered and bail from the interaction completely, he was careful not to do or say anything that would discomfort her to that point. It was rare that she allowed herself to act even the slightest bit affectionate toward him, he wanted it to last for as long as it could, despite the fun he could have making her blush.

"Thank you, Tachibana Misato." he smiled, "To what do I owe this occasion?"

It was then that she realized it probably looked like she'd gone out of her way to give him a drink. She quickly turned back to him so she could deny what he probably thought.

"It's not like I bought it with you in mind!" she explained, although it sounded like one of her usual excuses, and just as unbelievable. She spoke with her hands, in big, expressive gestures, unlike Sasahara who remained very much still whenever he spoke. "Someone bumped into me, and I accidentally bought black coffee instead of what I wanted, that's all!"

"Is that so?" he thought aloud, his hand pressed up against his chin thoughtfully. What a lucky coincidence that when he'd lost his own drink, she should appear with one to replace it. His response must have sounded disbelieving, because she began to insist more strongly that she hadn't intended to buy him anything.

"That is so! If you hadn't shown up, I definitely would have just tossed it." she snapped. "I only even handed it to you just now because I happened to remember that you like black coffee."

The knowledge that she'd bothered to remember something so trivial about him was oddly touching. She didn't seem to realize that in her attempt to dismiss her own actions as indifferent, she'd revealed that she cared about him at least enough to remember his likes and dislikes. Considering how rarely she was open about her feelings, he cherished this momentary blunder of hers.

He permitted a small smile to crease his features. She didn't see it. Misato had already turned her own face away from him, as though she believed she could avoid being seen that way.

"Thank you for looking out for me, despite the inconvenience it must be." he said as he peered down at her from behind his thin glasses. She looked back at him then, about to say something in retort. But she seemed to change her mind immediately, and returned to staring at the ground instead.

"…it's nothing." she muttered. She knew she had to leave as soon as she could. It seemed that the longer she spent around him, the more difficult it was to act normal. And she was reaching her limit. She could almost feel her good sense slipping away even now.

"I have to go," she excused herself abruptly, before he could do or say anything else to distract her. She left in a hurry, maybe shaking up her own can of soda in the process. Still, it was better than the alternative: shooting him in the face with a gun. She was trying her hardest to avoid doing that anymore.

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><p><strong>AN: Only nine more one-shots to go, hooray! Let me know what you thought of this one, and be sure to tell me how i can improve in the future.<strong>


	3. Cuteness

It wasn't as though he went out of his way to tease her. He didn't usually push her buttons to get a reaction, unlike her two persistent and tactless friends. It would be uncharacteristic for him to try something like that normally. But he'd be lying if he said that he didn't like her reactions.

Every once in a while, while he held her attention, he might act just a little more charming to her, just to watch her cheeks turn red. Normally he would never purposefully try to make anyone embarrassed, but he found a strange sense of fulfillment in causing her to make those faces that she did whenever embarrassed.

It was fun, in an odd way. He wouldn't have played with anyone's emotions the way he did with hers. Though he could hardly blame himself for enjoying it; after all, she could become flustered so easily, it was almost impossible to resist making her blush and nervously try to hide her face.

She was cute when she blushed, although, she was naturally cute anyway. The more often he managed to make her blush, whether on purpose or not, the more he found he wanted to see her expression again. And though he knew he shouldn't, he relished in his ability to make her so nervous at times.

The lunch bell rang. Sasahara's own butler approached him and presented him with a well prepared and farm fresh meal. His own lunches were expertly crafted by his own household cook, from the ingredients that grew on his family's farm, and the livestock that was raised there.

To his surprise, as he reached for his glass of grape juice he was approached by Misato. An unexpected decision on her part, as she'd lately been doing all in her power to avoid him. He hid his surprise and remained impassive when she spoke.

"Sasahara." she said, surprisingly evenly, without a single falter in her speech. He glanced up at her and saw that there was not a hint of pink upon her cheeks. Something about her mannerism seemed rehearsed, as if she'd been repeating this conversation a few times to herself in secret.

"Tachibana," he answered, just as evenly. She seemed to stiffen a little when he said her name, but it was not by much. Her eyes began to dart away from him as she spoke now. It was becoming more difficult for her to recite her lines, he noted. He wasn't even trying to fluster her now, and still a faint pink dyed her cheeks. He considered trying to deepen the color of her blush, be decided against it. Whatever she'd been practicing to say now, he wanted her to have the chance to say it.

"W-would you like to have lunch?" she said, stuttering only at first, and then quickly returning to a more even and unaffected tone. She looked back at him expectantly, waiting for him to answer.

He had to admit, he didn't think that he'd ever hear her ask that. It was touching to hear her request. He'd many times considered asking her to have lunch with him, but now that she was offering, he found he much preferred this scenario so far. Rather than simply agree though, he elected to use this opportunity to tease her first.

"I was just about to, in fact." he responded, feigning misunderstanding.

"You know what I mean!" she snapped. She didn't seem to notice her own face burn a little more intensely in frustration. She was right, of course. He wasn't so oblivious that he couldn't recognize her invitation, and he was pleased to hear her rephrase the offer rather than give up, as he was afraid she might.

"I'm asking you if you'd like to eat lunch with me." When she asked this time, she turned her whole head away from him, her eyes only occasionally darting in his direction. Even if he hadn't wished to spend the lunch break with her, he was totally unable to resist the face she made.

He realized then that although he could easily bring about the blush to her face, she could just as easily use the same blush to manipulate him to her will completely. He doubted however that she was entirely aware of the power she had.

"Of course, Tachibana Misato, I'd be happy to." he said as naturally as possible, as though it was normal for her to offer to eat lunch with him. The more natural he acted, the easier he made it for her. She sighed a little as she sat down across from him, as though a great weight had risen off her shoulders when he agreed to her offer. Had she really been worried that he'd say no?

She seemed to glance around uncertainly as she opened her boxed lunch. She was probably worried about her friends finding her like this. It was a wonder why she'd decided to do this at all if she thought it such a risk to her reputation, which was not to say that Sasahara did not appreciate her willingness. If she was willing to risk her repute in order to spend time with him, he certainly wasn't going to stop her.

To his surprise she seemed to relax quickly. Despite keeping her head down to avoid his gaze, her breathing seemed normal, and her hands weren't shaking. It had been a while since she acted this naturally around him. Although they exchanged not a single word, the fact she'd even approached him at all during her strange time of avoiding him more than usual, he took it as a sign that whatever had been bothering her before was over now.

He glanced over at her food once or twice, admiring how well she'd seemed to prepare her meal despite how inferior the ingredients she used were. But he could only guess how the lunch she made compared to the one his chef had prepared for him. To ask for a bite of her lunch would be to cross an unspoken line in their relationship, although he certainly wouldn't object should she offer to share a taste of the food she made.

However, just because he couldn't taste her cooking didn't mean that he couldn't give her a taste of the fine meals he was accustomed to. Getting her to be better acquainted with the sort of lifestyle he was used to was a tempting prospect.

He delicately cut a square of the remaining steak on his plate, and after piercing it with his fork he held it out to her.

"Would you like to try some?" he offered. Initially she seemed surprised, as though she almost forgot she was sitting with him. Her cheeks hinted with the familiar blush that he knew all too well, and he was certain she was about to decline his offer. Normally, Sasahara wouldn't have persisted with his offer if it made her uncomfortable, but he was determined to have her try his food.

"Forgive me," he apologized, before she could speak. "I was only under the impression that the sharing of meals between friends was a common gesture of comradeship. I must have misjudged our relationship, I apologize."

His words were a challenge, but he was unsure she recognized the deliberate suggestion that there was nothing inherently romantic about accepting his offer. It seemed to take her a few seconds to arrive to the conclusion that to decline would somehow suggest that he was not simply a friend to her. A suggestion, he knew, she would fight.

She took the bait, just as he suspected she would. Before he put his fork down, she quickly grabbed it and pulled it towards herself, somehow managing not to accidently brush against his hand in the process.

"…Only because we're _friends._" she assured him, and herself.

"Of course." he agreed, suppressing a smile of having successfully won her over.

Misato looked down at the small chunk of meat with something like apprehension. She still seemed hesitant, despite for the moment believing that this gesture would not reveal her feelings. She couldn't have been worried that she wouldn't like it, could she? She knew that his meals were professionally cooked to perfection, how could she doubt the quality of the food? No, that was not the case, but clearly a thought had crossed her mind then that worried her. He studied her expression carefully, trying his best to guess where her mind had wandered.

Before he had time to speculate what she was thinking, she took the small chunk of meat into her mouth and began to chew. As she bit into the meat, the flavor become more defined. She chewed slower and slower, momentarily lost in the taste before swallowing. She licked her lips before finally looking back at him and giving him her verdict of the small cut of meat.

"That was… really good." she said, her tone suggesting that she was simultaneously impressed and disappointed somehow. "I don't think my cooking could ever compete with what you're used to..." she said, more to herself than to him.

Ah, so that was what had bothered her. Sasahara knew enough about her to know she had a passion for cooking. Perhaps getting a sense of professional cooking was a bit intimidating for her. Could that be the reason for her disappointment?

But despite how she felt about her own cooking skills compared to the master chefs under his family's employment, he was pleased she enjoyed the small taste of upper class cuisine that he shared with her. Would that he could, he'd ensure that she enjoyed many more expertly prepared meals like the one she sampled.

She handed him back his utensil, and looked sheepishly down at her own boxed lunch. Then, she said something awfully brave.

"W-would you like to try some of mine?" she offered nervously. He was taken by surprise by her offer. It did seem only natural for someone to offer their own lunch after trying someone else's, but coming from her it seemed like such a personal offer. "I mean… because we're such good friends and all." she added, still insisting to herself that there was nothing about them sharing meals that suggested something beyond friendship.

"Of course, I'd love to." he smiled, pleased that she was willing to reciprocate the gesture. She looked down at her lunch, and searched for what she thought Sasahara would find the most palatable. What would she think if she knew that he wanted to taste her cooking not necessarily for the quality (though he didn't doubt she was a skilled cook), but rather just to know her better? Since her cooking abilities were important to her, they were important to him as well. He wanted to be better acquainted with that aspect of her, just as he wanted her to understand aspects of his life.

She finally chose a piece of fried shrimp, but hesitated as she held it. "It's not the fanciest thing, probably not even high enough quality for someone used to upper-class dining for every meal," she said, obviously unsure of how her skills held up to what she'd just tasted. She was usually so confident; it seemed unnatural to see her second guessing her talents. "But I guess it's only fair, so… here."

She looked away from him as she passed the chopsticks to him, along with the single fried shrimp she'd picked out from her lunch box. As he took the sample from her, he was momentarily glad that she had the habit of looking away when she was overcome with embarrassment; that way he could watch her blush without his direct gaze making her uncomfortable. It would not yet be appropriate for him to hold her direct gaze for more than a few seconds at a time.

Fully aware that her cooking would be different than what he was used to eating, he ate it. Honestly, he'd half expected the taste to resemble the cooking style of the food found at festivals, but was pleasantly surprised to discover that her cooking far exceeded that level of quality. There was definitely a more commoner sort of flavor to it than he was used to, that was to be expected from the more easily affordable ingredients she'd likely used during preparation. But despite the expense of the components she used to create it, it tasted fantastic. It made him curious to know what her cooking would taste like with the use of proper ingredients.

"Well… how is it?" she asked. He swallowed, the taste delightfully still lingering in his mouth for a few extra moments.

"As I suspected, it's delicious. You obviously don't realize how wrong you are to doubt yourself, Tachibana Misato."

For a moment, she looked relieved, and even glad to hear him speak so highly of her cooking. She obviously held his opinion in high regard. Was that simply because he ate good food so often that she thought he ought to know for sure whether her cooking was alright, or was it possible that she valued his opinion because he was important to her? He could only hope.

She blushed at the compliment, but was obviously pleased, he noted by the nervous smile on her face. It was unusual for her to blush with a smile on her face; he couldn't recall seeing that particular expression from her before, but he liked the way it looked on her. It was… cute. Very cute. He vowed then that he would find a way to bring it about again.

"Yeah, well… thanks for stomaching it." her smile faded, and she became serious again. "Not that I think you're lying, but… if it _was_ bad, would you have told me so?" she asked.

An interesting, but unpleasant notion to consider. If somehow her cooking had been less than agreeable, surely he would still attempt to try it. After all, it wasn't as though he'd only sample her food because he thought it would taste good. But if her cooking was bad, he had two options: he could lie, and do his best to encourage her to continue trying her best at what she loved, or he could tell her the truth, and risk making her feel miserable, not to mention wary of sharing things with him in the future.

"Probably not." he answered after a long pause.

"Why not?" she asked, sounding slightly offended that he would lie to her. "I mean, even if that would've hurt my feelings, wouldn't you want me to know I was terrible so I would improve?"

"It matters more to me that you feel happy, than that you change to satisfy me better."

It took a few moments for his words to sink in, but once they did he was rewarded with the familiar sight of her embarrassed, blushing face. She turned her head away from him and muttered something like, 'idiot…' under her breath.

Again, he was surprised by just how much he liked making her blush. However slight the red to her cheeks, it was always a gift he found himself unworthy to receive. And yet, each and every day they spoke of late it seemed she'd been generous enough to bestow it to him in some form. He could only hope that someday soon he'd be able to earn the nervous-smile blush from earlier, again someday.


End file.
